KAAPA Coop Nebraska’s Producer-Owned Ag Development Group

The Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance, aka KAAPA, is a farmer-owned cooperative established in 1996. Currently the alliance includes over 400 dedicated members.

The idea to create KAAPA derived from the Kearney community’s effort to secure a potato chip processing facility. Competition for the plant was fierce and it eventually was developed in a neighboring county. The process of soliciting such a facility to Buffalo County brought to light the need for a group of local individuals with agricultural backgrounds to advocate for this area.

In 1995, a Board of Directors (BOD) was organized and the name, Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance (KAAPA) was chosen. In 1996, KAAPA formally became a cooperative. A membership drive and projects began in February. The BOD was excited and determined to grow central Nebraska by pursuing value-added agriculture projects.

KAAPA’s mission:

To seek and acquire opportunities which can increase member profits and net worth while promoting agriculture. This will be accomplished by its members producing for, or investing in, value-added agriculture projects.

KAAPA pursues its mission in a variety of ways:

• BOD and staff are presented with and research a wide variety of value-added agricultural projects each year.
• BOD and staff do their due diligence as they approach each project. This has led KAAPA to become a more professional, informed and effective agriculture development alliance.
• BOD and staff diligently monitor the agriculture industry to be in the forefront and anticipate changes which indicate opportunities.
• BOD and staff continue to evaluate the needs of its members by identifying plausible projects to meet these needs.
• BOD and staff have developed strong, reliable relationships with government agencies, local & state service organizations, Nebraska legislators and agriculture advocates.